Yes, there is professional wrestling, it is what the 20x20 squared ring is used for. But, what the WWE truly is, is Sports Entertainment. As a company it has become more than just professional wrestling. Movies produced by WWE with WWE Superstars and Divas in leading roles, the WWE Network and the original programing we are starting to see on it. Look at the highest rated (or one of the highest rated) segments from the Monday Night Wars, it wasn't "professional wrestling" per say. Ya, there has always been promos and whatnot, but the "This Is Your Life" segment with The Rock and Mankind was a bit more than that. Low budget, live improve comedy. That is entertainment, not wrestling.
I think a lot of the problem, or perhaps the root of it all, is Vince McMahon's complete and outright refusal to reference WWE as professional wrestling, or any of the WWE Superstars are professional wrestlers. He is both right and wrong in going about things that way in my humble opinion.
In the right was, establishing that his brand was different than others. WCW was dying out before the Monday Night Wars too really (in comparison to the 80's at least). And what did Turner and Bischoff do? Make WCW more like WWE in regards to promotion and production. They became more Sports Entertainment than wrestling, did very well, and if not for poor creative as well as the AOL Time Warner deal may have survived. The original ECW, originally TNA, and ROH are/were professional wrestling organizations. ECW is now part of WWE, and TNA made the mistake of trying to compete directly with WWE in a failing manner that began the slow demise. No not done yet, but when mjority of your top stars who practically made TNA what it is have left and are either signed with WWE or a possibilty of doing so (if not other professional wrestling companies).
Vince was wrong in many ways as well. Not all of his WWE Superstars are anything more than professional wrestlers. And a lot of them will tell you so as well. An example would be Daniel Bryan. He was/is a professional wrestler, and got over with the crowd for not being the typical WWE guy (was he really an underdog?) in a massive way. Sure he could maybe do bit parts, but I cannot see someone like Daniel Bryan becoming an actor like The Rock, John Cena, or some others. Not a dis in any way, I would almost assume DB would say himself that his way of entertaining people was in a squared circle. Perhaps if Vince and WWE allowed more people to simply be wrestlers, the entertainers would stand out even more. Perhaps, perhaps not.
So again, what the WWE has become is truly Sports Entertainment Company that produces a professional wrestling show, among other things. Ring Of Honor? TNA? GFW? Those are purely professional wrestling companies, who should focus on that instead of competing with WWE (looking at you, Dixie).
I think a lot of the problem, or perhaps the root of it all, is Vince McMahon's complete and outright refusal to reference WWE as professional wrestling, or any of the WWE Superstars are professional wrestlers. He is both right and wrong in going about things that way in my humble opinion.
In the right was, establishing that his brand was different than others. WCW was dying out before the Monday Night Wars too really (in comparison to the 80's at least). And what did Turner and Bischoff do? Make WCW more like WWE in regards to promotion and production. They became more Sports Entertainment than wrestling, did very well, and if not for poor creative as well as the AOL Time Warner deal may have survived. The original ECW, originally TNA, and ROH are/were professional wrestling organizations. ECW is now part of WWE, and TNA made the mistake of trying to compete directly with WWE in a failing manner that began the slow demise. No not done yet, but when mjority of your top stars who practically made TNA what it is have left and are either signed with WWE or a possibilty of doing so (if not other professional wrestling companies).
Vince was wrong in many ways as well. Not all of his WWE Superstars are anything more than professional wrestlers. And a lot of them will tell you so as well. An example would be Daniel Bryan. He was/is a professional wrestler, and got over with the crowd for not being the typical WWE guy (was he really an underdog?) in a massive way. Sure he could maybe do bit parts, but I cannot see someone like Daniel Bryan becoming an actor like The Rock, John Cena, or some others. Not a dis in any way, I would almost assume DB would say himself that his way of entertaining people was in a squared circle. Perhaps if Vince and WWE allowed more people to simply be wrestlers, the entertainers would stand out even more. Perhaps, perhaps not.
So again, what the WWE has become is truly Sports Entertainment Company that produces a professional wrestling show, among other things. Ring Of Honor? TNA? GFW? Those are purely professional wrestling companies, who should focus on that instead of competing with WWE (looking at you, Dixie).
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